The first high-tonnage tanker to take the Northern Sea Route from Europe to Asia has arrived Pevek on the Chukotka Peninsula one day earlier than expected.
It took the 100 000 tons tanker “Baltica” 11 days to cover 2500 miles. The vessel is expected to arrive in Ningbo, China, in the first half of September, web site Portnews.ru reports.
As BarentsObserver reported, "Baltica" left Murmansk on August 14th.
“Baltica” is loaded with 70,000 tons of gas condensate from the company Novatek, Russia’s largest independent gas producer.
The fact that the tanker has covered the distance in less time than expected, shows the potential of the Northern Sea Route when it comes to cutting back on transport time and increasing cost efficiency of oil and gas deliveries to Asia and regions in the Pacific Ocean, the ship owner Sovcomflot says.
“Baltica” is loaded with 70,000 tons of gas condensate from the company Novatek, Russia’s largest independent gas producer. The tanker is followed by the nuclear ice breakers “Rossiya”, “Taymyr” and “50 years of Victory”. The latter has divers and specialists on oil spill clean-up as well as necessary equipment.
Sovcomflot plans to send a Suezmax class tanker through the Northeast Passage in 2011, web site Oilru.com reports. The tanker will be of ice class 1A Super or higher, and be able to go through one meter thick ice.
